Writing on the Walls: Shantell Martin

When Y&R New York moved from our Madison Square roots to our Columbus Circle headquarters, we seized the opportunity to cultivate a new atmosphere of creativity within the office by partnering with artists who could bring our walls to life. Shantell Martin is an internationally-praised visual artist who is the creative mind behind the most prominent murals decorating our New York HQ.

Shantell is best known her acclaimed stream-of-consciousness and improvisational style work that appear to take on a life of their own. On her website, her work is described as "a meditation of lines — a language of characters, creatures, and messages that invites her viewers to share in her creative process." The iconic black and white artwork has decorated everthing from walls, found objects, ceramics, luxury goods, sneakers, and even faces to express a visual narrative and has been met with fanfare at Art Basel, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the Contemporary African Diaspora, Bata Show Museum and a number of private galleries.

The beautiful mural (pictured below) reminds us of our 'global boutique' as it travels across landscapes of the countries near and far. It also features bits of inspiration like Y&R's slogan, "Resist the Usual" and some of Shantells own creative mantras such as, "Some day we can, one day we will."

Now Y&R employees can find creative inspiration by walking through the office and embracing Shantell's characteristic style and dreamlike aesthetic.

Recently, Shantell collaborated with Kendrick Lamar at Art Basel for American Express' Music Meets Art showcase at Miami. The mind-bending showcase saw the two artists finding harmony between beats and art to produce one captivating and dynamic work of art.